Steal Your Heart
by CatrienStardust
Summary: Sequel to 'Kidnap your Heart.' Two months after the night that changed everything for Eli and Clare, Eli shows up at her door again. "I want to kidnap you." Eclare.
1. cement from sand

Clare Edwards sat at her computer, scowling.

It had been a bad two months, to put it bluntly. As if the year hadn't been difficult enough already, she'd lost her boyfriend in what some might consider the most insane-sounding break up ever, and, as a result, was left home on a Friday night.

With writer's block.

This paper was due for English Monday, and for some reason, the words in her head were holding a grudge against her, not allowing themselves to be released onto paper. Brushing a loose curl from in front of her clear blue eyes, she frowned, reviewing the writing prompt for the umpteenth time.

_Do you believe in second chances? Why or why not?_

Bitterly, she shook her head. Second chances? How painfully ironic. The way her English class seemed to tease her and Eli's relationship interactions drove her crazy. Just for once, could she _not_ think of him? The fact that she was spending this much time over a prompt was ridiculous; they were usually a shoe-in for Clare.

Sighing, she minimized the Word document and procrastinated, checking her Facerange. She'd tried to keep a low profile since the night of the dance, the night that Eli had purposely crashed his hearse to get Clare's attention. The rumors at school were unavoidable, (especially at first,) and Clare felt that the only way to avoid them was to avoid, well, everyone.

Eli had been released from the hospital about a month ago, though he hadn't returned to school until three weeks ago. English class was painfully awkward, and neither of the two had even attempted to converse with each other. Adam, stuck in the middle of their break-up, had attempted to break the tension by joking around, but his painfully not-funny jokes only made the situation more unbearable.

Browsing her news feed, she felt more dejected than ever. It seemed the entire Degrassi population was busy with plans tonight. _How was that possible?_ She felt like she was the only one who felt this kind of loneliness. Sure, Alli had asked her to hang out, but Clare knew that hang out meant dinner and possibly a movie with Dave, Alli's current boy-toy, and the ever-inseparable Kenna. Hanging out with Adam was out-of-the-question. If he wasn't already busy with Eli, he'd spend the whole time hinting that Clare should talk to Eli.

_Eli._ At the very thought of him, his name flashed across her feed. Curious, she clicked on his name. His last status was from just an hour ago.

**Eli Goldsworthy**: _I need plans tonight. Any takers?_

To Clare's surpise, someone had indeed commented on it. _Imogen Moreno_. She was new, that's all Clare had heard about her, but due to Imogen's overuse of the winking emoticon and suggestive comment (_Me! My parents aren't home, I'm up for anything_,) it was evident that Eli knew her pretty well.

Rolling her eyes, Clare convinced herself she didn't care. He was moving on? Good. About time. She was happy for him. Her. Them. Irrational anger filled her. Since when had she turned into the kind of ex who stalked Faceranges and became unreasonably jealous? _She'd_ broken up with _him_. And it's not like she cared, anyway. Right?

Suddenly, she craved to be anywhere but alone, at her house. It was only six o'clock, and still light outside. She could easily walk to the Dot, or something. Maybe Alli would still be there.

Pulling on her denim jacket and running a brush through her hair, she slipped into flats and pulled her purse over a shoulder. All that was left was her cell phone. _Where in the world did she put it?_

As if on cue, she heard a vibrating sound on her desk. Rummaging through the half-written papers and a few empty water bottles, she found what she was looking for. Strange, the person calling was listed as unknown. Cautiously, she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Clare. It's Eli- please don't hang up. Hear me out. Look outside your door. I'm here. And..." He paused, his voice shaking. "I want to kidnap you."

**Note**: I'm not very happy with this, I had a migraine earlier and therefore my writing is not koala tea. Hopefully you guys will be interested in this anyway. I know it's been foooorever since I wrote Kidnap Your Heart but I felt like this was an appropriate time for a sequel. We're going to say that after their weekend, they got together, but they ended the same way as in the show. Tragic. Also, Sadie doesn't exist. Damn freshman.

Anyways. _Please,_ review. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Namaste. (:


	2. dreams last for so long

On average, a human heart beats approximately 72 times a minute.

That's of course, not adding in variables. It changes, obviously, given the activity, emotions, and general state of the individual. If you're resting… About to take an exam you didn't study for…

If you're being asked by your ex-boyfriend and best friend to go on a crazy, unknown road trip together…

Clare was, needless to say, in shock. Collapsing on the floor of her room, she guessed that her heart was beating at least 500 beats a minute.

Possibly more.

Gazing at the beige carpet, she trying to understand, to _comprehend_, what, exactly, Eli Goldsworthy had just asked of her. Kidnap? As in run away together? Did he miss the part where he'd crashed his hearse for her? Where she'd dumped him, choosing to go to a dance instead?

It was all a sick flashback. Three months ago, Clare had been desperate to spend time with Eli. Remembering the start of their relationship, equipped with pickle Pringles and one-bed hotel rooms… The juxtaposition to now, as she kneeled, close to tears on the bedroom floor, was sick.

She jumped as she heard a voice on the opposite end of the phone, forgetting she was still in a call with Eli. "Clare? Clare, please. Don't hang up." His smooth voice begged. Without waiting for her to answer, he rushed. "It was Adam's idea… He needs us, Clare, his mom's being a bitch." She could practically _hear _him cringe. "A witch, sorry."

She cleared her throat. "I just. I- I want to help Adam, but what do you mean?"

"I don't really know. He showed up at my house, upset. Threw me my keys and told me to pack a bag." Across the line, she heard a deep sigh. "I think something's really wrong." There was a pause and she heard some shuffling, and a muffled voice. "Here, he wants to talk to you."

There was fumbling and Clare wound a string from her carpet around her finger.

"Clare?" His slightly-high-pitched voice echoed in her ear.

"Yeah… What's going on?"

"I can't tell you, at least not yet." There was something that sounded like the slam of a car door, and Adam left the car. "Listen- you two need to work things out. You're my best friends; I can't stand you guys avoiding each other like the plague."

She opened her mouth to interrupt, but he cut her off.

"No buts. Eli can't even enjoy comic books now. Just. I need you both, okay? I don't ever ask anything of you guys. Just do this, Clare."

Biting her lip, Clare remembered all the times she'd gone to Adam for help. He was her best friend, and he'd been there for her during times that no one else was. She owed him a lot- he never asked for anything in return. Knowing she would regret it, she exhaled slowly, and said grudgingly, "Okay."

The second she said her answer, she heard a shrill yelp, followed by a stifled, "She said yes?" Clare, on the other hand, brought a hand to her forehead, wondering how she agreed to this.

"Okay." The voice was Eli again. "Pack a bag with the essentials. Give your excuse to your parents, whatever. "

"Okay." She said, anxiety creeping up her spine.

"And Clare?"

"Yes?"

"Don't overthink this." He warned. "I'm over this if you are."

Despair mixed with relief at his words, and honestly, she didn't know which was more prominent. "Alright." She said. "We can be mature about this."

"Of course." He paused, and she wondered what he was thinking. "See you in a few… Blue eyes."

Before she could answer, the phone quieted. Blushing furiously, Clare stood quickly, trying to sort out what feeling was most prominent- fear, anger, anxiety, or sorrow.

_Adam. You're doing this for Adam._ She reminded herself, trying to push the thoughts of Eli from her mind. Things were pretty good right now, the _last_ thing she needed was another dramatic disaster. S

haking her head, Clare busied herself with throwing some essential clothing, toiletries, her digital camera, and her cell phone charger into her bag. On a whim, she caught herself staring at her leather-bound copy of _Romeo and Juliet_, a gift from Eli and, until recently, one of her prized possessions. Without thinking clearly, she threw it in her bag, zipping it closed before she had a chance to second-guess herself.

Feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu, she looked at herself in the mirror. Thinking of her last "kidnapping" made her head hurt. Fluffing her curls a little, Clare decided she looked as good as she possibly could.

Pulling her bag on her shoulder, she made her way downstairs. Her mom wasn't home, and vaguely Clare remembered her mentioning something about a church fundraiser. She scribbled a note explaining that she was at Alli's for the weekend, and, feeling a little guilty, signed it with a larger-than-usual "I love you!" Her relationship with her parents had been shaky- to say the least- since the divorce, but she still felt the need to be perfect in their eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed out her screen door to face Eli, propped on the hood of his- presumably new- car, and Adam, leaning against the driver door, arms crossed, looking like a cover of an action-packed comic like they enjoyed reading so much.

"Clare Diane Edwards." Adam chuckled. "You pack light," he said, referring to the duffel bag she was carrying. Rolling her eyes, she pushed pass him, throwing the bag into the open trunk.

They congregated in front of the car, Eli with his hands in his pockets, Adam looking awkward and uncomfortable, Clare gnawing at her lip and resisting the urge to mess with her hair.

Finally, Eli moved, extending his hand towards Clare. "Hi, I'm Elijah Goldsworthy, pleased to meet you."

The surrealness of the moment made Clare break out in giggles, and within a few seconds, Adam joined her- though his chuckles were more awkward and confused. She took Eli's hand, a jolt of electricity shooting up her arm. A glance at Eli's face showed no inclination that he felt the same way, so she kept a straight face.

"Clare Edwards."

He smirked, their hands untangling as Adam called shotgun and threw himself into the passenger seat.

"Pleasure to meet you."

She shivered, despite the balmy weather.

It's going to be a long weekend.

**Note:** Sorry for the delay in updating. Yes, I do plan on staying dedicated to this story, but I was hesitant to write because I didn't want it unparalelling too much from the show. Also, for the sake of my story, Eli got a new car, it's dope. Reviews are appreciated!


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